Means for hinging and latching both ends of a gate



April 24, 1962 A. B. LEWIS 3,030,717

MEANS FOR HINGING AND LATCHING BOTH ENDS OF A GATE Fil ed May 27, 1959 ii i 1\\//\ AWYAY/A \V/ g5 34 Albert B. Laws 20 INVENTOR nited erases 3,630,717. Patented Apr. 24, 1962 3,030,717 MEANS FOR HINGING AND LATCHING BQTH END OF A GATE Albert 13. Lewis, Rte. 3, McAlestenOlcla, assignor of onehalf to William S. Horton, McAlester, Okla. Filed May 27, 1959, Ser. No. 816,120 6 Claims. (Cl. 39-76) This invention relates to gates and more particularly to gates capable of being opened from either end thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a mechanically simplified, satisfactorily and smoothly operative gate for any opening, wherein the gate may be opened from either end thereof depending on the prerogative and desires of the user.

A gate in accordance with this invention has an identical assembly at each side thereof. The assemblies are so constructed that a single operation of one lever is all that is required to release a selected end of the gate so that it may he swung to an open position. The mechanical simplicity achieved by this arrangement makes it possible to produce gates equipped with these assemblies or to convert existing gates to double opening gates with a minimum of expense and effort.

Briefly, a typical assembly is made only of one lever, a reaction bracket and a catch. The lever is pivoted on the gate side while the reaction bracket is attached to a fence post or the like. The catch holds the lever releasably in such position that the hinges of the gate are engaged. Accordingly, the gate will remain latched as long as the lever is held by the catch. As soon as the lever is released from the catch, requiring only a simple lever movement, the hinges on one side only of the gate become disengaged so that the gate may be swung about the other hinges on the other side of the gate.

There have been prior gates which are capable of opening and closing from either end. In all prior gates, however, the operating mechanism is complex, expensive and very often such gates are not sightly nor satisfactorily operative. Accordingly, a further object of this invention is to provide improvements of a substantial nature in gates of the type which are capable of being opened from either end.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a gate constructed in accordance with the invention and showing it in place in a typical gate opening.

FIGURE 2 is a top view on enlarged scale of the gate in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view showing one end of the gate prepared to be opened.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing one of the gate hinges. V

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a fence having two fence posts 12 and I4 spaced from each other to form a gate opening 16. The fence posts and fence merely diagrammatically represent any opening which is to be controlled by a gate or other form of closure. 1

Gate 18 has a pair of ends or sides 20 and 22 held spaced apart by means of intermediate gate structure 24 which is arbitrarily shown as frame members, although this type of construction may be considerably varied. There are four hinges 26, 2.8, 30 and 32, each of which is constructed identically. Typical hinge 26 (FIGURE 5) is made of an eye 34 together with a hinge pin 36 loosely fitting in the eye. The hinge pin 36 has an upright spindle part and a transverse part 38 welded or otherwise secured to the side 26 of the gate. Eye 34 can be made of numerous configurations, one of which is to have some substantial depth. Further, although eye 34 is shown welded to post 12, it is evident that wooden posts will require a bolt, screw, clamp or some other type of construction.

All of the hinge pins extend upwardly from the shank portions thereof and enter each of the eyes from below so that the gate may be lowered (FIGURE 3) during the operation thereof.

Gate 13 is maintained erect in the gate opening 16 by identical levers 42 and 44. Typical lever 42. (FIGURE 4) has a lever arm 46 and an essentially U-shaped yoke 48 at its lower end. Transverse pivot pin 50 extends through alined apertures at the knee of the yoke juncture with lever arm 46, and the pivot pin is engaged in an opening in side 2% of the gate. A short downturned stop 52 extends downwardly from the lower surface of yoke 48 and is adapted to bear against the reaction bracket 54 that is fixed to fence post 12. The reaction bracket is suitably secured to the post 112 and the means for attaching the bracket will vary in accordance with the construction and type of material used in the post 12.

A catch 6b is secured to the upper frame member of gate 18 and is adapted to releasably hold the lever 42 in a generally upright position. Catch 60 is made of a leaf spring having one end 62 welded or otherwise secured to the upper frame member of the gate and having a stop 64 at the opposite end. This stop may be formed by a right angular bend in the leaf spring that makes up the catch 60. It is clearly evident that catch 60 need not be made of spring metal and need not be elongate as shown in FIGURE 2. A protuberance projecting from one face of the upper frame member of gate 18 is all that is necessary since the catch serves a stop function by having the edge of arm 46 bear against it. The weight of the gate acting through pivot 50 causes the lever 42 to tend to rotate in a direction which brings the edge of arm 46 firmly against catch 60 and this supports one-half the weight of the gate. The other half of the weight of the gate is supported by the lever 44 which is identical in function and construction to le ver 42.

In operation it is assumed that the gate is in the closed position (FIGURE 1) and a person wishes to use the gate from one end thereof. The only thing that is required is that the arm 46 be pulled slightly forward (see dotted line position in FIGURE 4) and the weight of the gate will automatically swing it to the position shown on the right side of FIGURE 3. At the same time one end of the gate will lower, there being ample clearance between the hinge pins and hinge eyes on the opposite side of the gate, to enable the gate to be so lowered. This disengages the hinges along one side of the gate so that it may be swung to an open or closed position with the remaining hinges engaged. Should it be desired to operate the gate from the other side thereof, the procedure is identical.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A gate adapted to be opened and closed from either end thereof, said gate including assemblies at the sides,

each assembly being identical and including a lever pivoted to one side of the gate, a catch engaged with a part of said lever and holding said lever in one position, a reaction bracket on adjacent gate opening-defining structures which are fixed with respect to the gate and against which a part of the lever contacts to thereby support the gate, and loose fitting upper and lower hinge means having hinge pins that are separable from hinge elements connected with the sides of the gate and the adjacent structures in response to displacement of the gate upon release of said lever from said catch.

2. A gate adapted to be opened and closed from either end thereof, said gate including assemblies at the sides, each assembly being identical and including a lever pivoted to one side of the gate, a catch engaged with a part of said lever and holding said lever in one position, a reaction bracket on adjacent structures which are fixed with respect to the gate and against which a part of the lever contacts to thereby support the gate, and loose fitting upper and lower hinge means having hinge pins that are separable from hinge elements connected with the sides of the gate and the adjacent structures which define the gate opening, said lever when released from said catch being swingable to a position permitting one side of the gate to be lowered for separation of the hinge pins and elements on one side while the other side of the gate has the hinges maintaining the gate in a hinged orientation and the other lever at least partially supporting the weight of the gate whereby said gate may be swung.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said catch includes a projection against which one edge of said lever bears.

4. The gate of claim 2, wherein said lever is pivoted to said side of said gate intermediate the ends of said lever, one end of said lever projecting laterally from a handle portion of said lever and adapted to bear against said reaction bracket.

5. In a gate for a gate opening which is defined by a pair of spaced structures, said gate comprising a gate structure which has sides, hinges including eyes and hinge pins connected between said spaced structures and said sides of said gate, said hinge pins and eyes being separable with reference to each other, means carried by said gate structure and said spaced structures for maintaining said eyes and hinge pins engaged with each other and for releasing the eyes and hinge pins from a selected side of said gate while the other of the sides of said gate has the hinges thereof remaining engaged whereby said gate may be opened from either side thereof, said means including a lever pivoted to one side of said gate intermediate the ends of said lever, one end of said lever constituting a handle, a reaction bracket attached to one of said spaced structures and engaged by the opposite end of said lever to permit displacement of said gate structure and thereby separate said hinge pins and eyes at Said one side of the gate structure.

6. In a gate for a gate opening which is defined by a pair of spaced structures, said gate comprising a gate structure which has sides, hinges including eyes and hinge pins connected between said spaced structures and said sides of said gate, said hinge pins and eyes being separable with reference to each other, means carried by said gate structure and said spaced structures for maintaining said eyes and hinge pins engaged With each other and for releasing the eyes and hinge pins from a selected side of said gate While the other of the sides of said gate has the hinges thereof remaining engaged to thereby open said gate from either side thereof, said means including a lever pivoted to one side of said gate intermediate the ends of said lever, one end of said lever constituting a handle, a reaction bracket attached to one of said spaced structures and engaged by the opposite end of said lever to permit displacement of the gate structure and separation of the hinge pins and eyes at said one side of the gate structure and a catch operatively connected with the handle of said lever and maintaining said handle in a position at which said lever maintains the hinges adjacent thereto engaged.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 795,539 Parmelee July 25, 1905 1,059,415 Waters et a1. Apr. 22, 1913 2,603,895 Hardy July 22, 1952 

